GOTSCH: Nuclear concerns warranted

In the Jan. 25 letter, "Oyster Creek 'stood strong' against ravages of Sandy," the New Jersey Energy Coalition, started a few years ago with funding from the Exelon Corp., put forth a scurrilous rant about the "agenda" of people who live near the Oyster Creek nuclear plant in Ocean County.

Called "downright shameful" by Bob Marshall from Millville, NJEC's executive director, these are the very people who have had their lives turned upside down because of storm damage to their homes.

What could possibly have so raised the sanctimonious ire of a paid Exelon lobbyist to launch such a vehement diatribe against people who understandably have concerns and want more information about the storm-damaged nuclear plant in their neighborhood?

The safety issues citizens raised are valid, and contained in official NRC reports. Thirty-six of 43 emergency sirens were not operational the night superstorm Sandy hit, and there was no backup power for them. NRC incident reports state there were some indications of cracking and a leaking pinhole perforation in the primary cooling system for the plant. All required inspection and repair, and they will have to be watched in the future.

Loss of outside electrical power and the flood levels during the storm did lead to concern for the service pumps. People in the area who knew that salt water had completely ruined their electrical connections in many cases wanted to know if the electrical circuitry at Oyster Creek had taken an unknown hit that would cause problems later.

These safety issues have been brought to the attention of the state Department of Environmental Protection, and citizens have filed a legal petition to obtain verification that Exelon not only inspected and repaired these areas, but also conducted analysis in nearby areas to check for additional leaks and cracks.

If all is well, then Exelon should have no problem releasing those results. So far, Exelon refuses to release any analysis to the public.

We want to thank Sens. Bob Menendez and Frank Lautenberg for their assistance with our request for information regarding inspection data, flooding reports and failure of emergency sirens.

We are all glad that Sandy did not compromise the plant in the midst of the storm and its surge, but we are not as willing as Marshall to just keep our fingers crossed and rely on a "pretty good record" to see us through future floods and Category 3, 4 or 5 storms.

Regulation by hoping for good luck will never be our choice. Perhaps Marshall should review articles in which the NRC's own spokesman speaks about the agency's acknowledgement that flood plans will need to be updated to reflect more frequent and violent storms.

It is not "shameful" for wanting answers to legitimate questions. In light of the Fukushima tragedy, it is all the more legitimate to do so. "Shameful" might better describe the tongue lashing provided by a New Jersey Energy Coalition lobbyist, aimed at those whose lives may never be the same after Sandy, and who nonetheless are putting forth a persistent effort toward public safety.

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GOTSCH: Nuclear concerns warranted

In the Jan. 25 letter, 'Oyster Creek 'stood strong' against ravages of Sandy,' the New Jersey Energy Coalition, started a few years ago with funding from the Exelon Corp., put forth a scurrilous rant

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